Electric wire conduit



I AND INSULAIUHS:

May 24, 19 R. c. SCHEMMEL ELECTRIC WIRE CONDUIT Filed Oct. 14, 1930 32 0&74 I

ATTORAEYS' AND INSULAlUHS.

PATENT OFFICE ROBERT C. SCHEIMMEL, 0F UNION CITY, INDIANA ELECTRIC WIRE CONDUIT Application filed October 14, 1930. Serial- No. 488,627.

My present invention relates to electric wire conduits, and more particularly to a neat and inexpensively manufactured assembly including a pair of electric conducting wires and a covering adapted to protect and secure the wires together.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a medium for transmission of an electric current in a circuit, which medium will be compact and substantially tape-like in form, which will contain a pair of wires in spaced apart relation to minimize self-induction, danger of short-circuiting and the like, which will insulate the wires from each other and from external objects, which will be neat and ornamental in appearance, which provides a portion adapted to receive tacks, nails or equivalent fastening means for securing the conduit to a support, which will be sufliciently flexible to be disposed about the contours of walls, ceilings, floors, furniture and similar supports, and which may if desired be made of non-inflammable materials.

A further object is to provide an improvement over the types of conduit which form the subject of my United States Patents Reissue No. 17.691, of June 3, 1930, and No. 1,798,035, of March 24, 1931, and of my pending application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 134,966, which will possess certain advantages over my said prior inventions, particularly in cost of manufacture and cost of application.

Other and further objects and advantages will be more apparent from the description hereinafter of the invention in certain preferred embodiments.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this application for Letters Patent and in which the same reference character designates the same part in the several views,

Figure 1 illustrates a preliminary step in the assembling of the conduit which forms the subject of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, with one end in section, of one type of conduit; and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are similar views of modifications.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a strip of covering fabric, which may be of leather, rubber, but preferably, in the interest of economy, of

textile material, suitably sized and finished.

I prefer to employ a textile material carry ing a hard finished leatherized surface, such as is commonly called artificial leather. The strip 1 may conveniently be made of asbestos or equivalent non-inflammable material.

Vith the strip 1 are associated, as shown in Fig. 1, a pair of electric conducting wires 2, each preferably encased in the customary tubular sheath 3 of rubber or equivalent insulating material. If desired the surface of the covering strip 1 along which the wires 2 are positioned may be coated with an adhesive, in order to hold more securely the several plies of the covering fabric together after the folding operation which will now be described. lVith the wires 2 positioned in spaced relation along the longitudinal dimension of the covering fabric 1 and spaced inwardly from the edges thereof as shown in Fig. 1, the longitudinal edges of the fabric are folded inwardly to terminate in the area of the covering strip between the pair of wires 2, to form the assembly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 or 5. It is to be understood that the types of conduit illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive are shown merely by way of exemplification and by no means constitute the only types of final product embodying the present invention, since other and further modifications are capable of embodying the principle of the invention, and will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art.

Referring now to Fig. 2, which shows a preferred embodiment of the invention, a relatively wide strip of covering fabric is employed. The longitudinal edges of the strip are folded inwardly to meet in a butt joint 4, and the strip and the space between the parallel wires 2 are so proportioned that side flanges 5 are provided along the outer edge of each of the wires 2. Lines of stitching 6 are run through the two plies of the covering fabric formed by the folding operation, to maintain the wires securely in position in the folds of the covering fabric. It will be a preciated that the adhesive coating describe hereinabove will materially assist in maintaining the fabric plies and the wires in a compact and durable assembly.

The type of conduit shown in Fig. 3 employs a narrower strip of covering fabric 1. The longitudinal edges of this strip are folded inwardly closely around the outer edges of the wires 1 to meet in a butt joint 4, the side flanges 5 of Fig. 2 being omitted.

In Fig. 4 a type of conduit is shown which is similar to the form of Fig. 3 excepting that the longitudinal edges of the covering fabric are associated in a lap joint 7 close to one of the wires 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates a further modification constructed generally in the same manner as the conduits of Figs. 3 and 4 embodying a lap joint 7 close to one of the wires 2, but including in addition a filler or spacing element interposed between the wires.

In each of the types of conduit shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 a line of stitching 6 is passed through the contacting plies of the covering material along the inner side of and close to each of the wires 2. It will be evident that these lines of stitching 6 together with the adhesive coating, if the adhesive coating be applied, will serve to maintain the several elements of the complete conduit in close and secure engagement.

The area of the conduit between the parallel wires provides a tacking space 4 through which may be passed tacks, nails or like fastening elements 10. These fastening elements may easily be passed through the two plies of the space 4 into a support 11, for the purpose of positioning the conduit thereupon in any position and direction which may be desired.

It will be evident that the conduit which has been described hereinabove may be manufactured and marketed in rolls of indefinite length which may be readily cut to provide pieces of any length required in a particular installation.

It will also be evident that the invention which forms the subject of this application may be used as an inexpensive substitute for the conduits heretofore invented by me and disclosed in my patents and pending application above identified and which may be used in conjunction with my said prior conduits especially in locations where concealment of the tack heads 10 is not. an important consideration.

It is to be understood that I have shown and described inthe. foregoing specification and in the accompanying drawings the present invention in certain preferred forms of embodiment, merely by way of exemplification. Other and further modifications will readily be suggested to persons skilled in the art, but all such modifications, to the extent that they embody the principles of this invention as pointed out in the appended claims, are to be dgemed within the scope and purview there- 0 Having thus described my present invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An electric wire conduit comprisin a strip of flexible fabric folded upon itsel a plurality of electric conducting wires enclosed in the fabric in spaced apart relation, and a line of stitching passing through a plurality of plies of the fabric on each side of each wire and immediately adjacent to each wire.

2. An electric wire conduit comprising a strip of flexible fabric folded upon itself, a pair of electric conducting wires enclosed in the fabric in spaced apart relation, a line of stitching passing through a plurality of plies of the fabric on each side of each wire and immediately adjacent to each wire, a double ply portion of the fabric extending outward ly along the outer side of each wire to form a protective side flange.

3. An electric wire conduit comprising a plurality of insulating sheaths, an electric conducting wire contained in each of said sheaths, a strip of flexible fabric folded upon itself and enclosing said sheaths in spaced relation, a coating of adhesive provided on i the inner surface of the fabric strip, and a line of stitching passing through the plies of the fabric on each side of and immediately adjacent to each of said wires, a double ply portion of the fabric extending outwardly along the outer side of each of the outer pair of wires to form a protective side flange.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT C. SCHEMMEL. 

